154 BIRDS OF LA PLATA 



The only language of this species is a very low 

 plaintive whistle, uttered as a faint protest when 

 the nest is approached. 



The upper plumage is olive-green ; the entire 

 under surface and a stripe on the side of the head 

 pure yellow ; wing and tail-quills dark. 



ASHY-BLACK TYRANT 



Cnipolegus anthracinus 



Above dull black, a broad bar across the vanes of the inner webs 

 of the wing-feathers white ; bill plumbeous ; feet black ; length 6.3 

 inches. Female ashy brown ; rump, upper tail-coverts, and basal 

 portions of tail bright fulvous ; wings blackish, with two white 

 transverse stripes ; beneath pale fulvous, white on the belly ; bill and 

 feet black. 



UNFORTUNATELY very little is yet known about the 

 habits of these interesting little Tyrant-birds, for 

 which I should like to suggest the common name 

 " Spectacular/' for reasons I shall say more about 

 when I come to describe the Lichenops perspicillatus, 

 a species which undoubtedly belongs to this peculiar 

 well-defined group. The plumage of the male is, 

 in most cases, intensely black, and there is a pure 

 white bar on the remiges, hidden when the bird is 

 perched, and when it flies made doubly conspicuous 

 by the peculiar motion of the wings. In all the known 

 species the female has a dull brown plumage, lined 

 or mottled with dusky tints, and with some portion 



